When you’re trying to find a mate, you always want to make a stellar first impression. While we always hope that we’ll find a young adult fantasy romance based on our inner beauty, the truth is, when you’re dating and mating, your potentially perfect mate is most likely judging you on your physical appearance. Plus, your attire and style reveals a lot about your personality.

While a great outfit may not affect your date’s impression of you, a bad outfit most definitely will hinder your chances for a young adult romance. We polled our dating and mating experts for some tips on finding attire that will improve your chances of obtaining that perfect adventure romance with the perfect mate.

A standard rule, even when you’re not trying to find a mate for a fantasy romance, is that being underdressed is always better than being overdressed. This is true for the whole courting period of a young adult fantasy romance, but especially on first dates. More importantly, make sure you wear something that makes you feel confident and good about yourself.

Women should choose flattering silhouettes and nothing too revealing or tight—you want to attract an ideal young adult romance not a one night stand. Don’t show too much skin or cleavage, but choose your best asset and wear something that showcases it. Make sure your outfit fits well so you’re not adjusting it the entire date. Eden Newman shared one of her interracial dating experiences with us—she went super casual to a dinner hosted by her Coal boyfriend’s sister, who was appalled by her flip flops.

Men should avoid extremes when dressing for their potential adventure romance—it’s not the time to try out a new look. Wear something simple and classic. Even if it’s casual, avoid crocs or running shoes (unless your date entails working out). No matter what, stay away from white socks! The object of your fantasy romance will run away fast, even if she’s wearing stilettos.

These are also good principles to keep in mind when creating online dating profiles on a website like Save the Pearls. You want your date to be attracted to you as a whole, not because you’re falling out of your blouse. While you’re looking for the ideal young adult fantasy relationship, you need to look like yourself in your online dating profiles, not your fantasy of what you look like. While avoiding a romantic apocalypse requires intense effort, you should by no means fabricate your looks in order to attract a date.

Stay tuned to Eden Newman as she works to Save the Pearls while avoiding her own romantic apocalypse.